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Analogue Works Zero+ turntable competition

By Hi-Fi Choice

Enter our fabulous competition and this Analogue Works turntable that sounds every bit as good as it looks could be yours

If you weren’t aware of the vinyl revolution that’s been going on over the last 18 months or so, you probably shouldn’t be reading these pages. But HFC is anything but exclusive, so for those that haven’t been paying attention or weren’t aware, we’ll go over the details just one more time. Vinyl is back and it’s more popular than its been for a very long time. The result is that everyone from youngsters wanting to experience music on something other than their phones to those that put their record collections in the loft 20 years ago are realising the real power of the black stuff. Vinyl’s popularity has grown beyond all expectations to the point where music stores are once again selling records (imagine that!) and you can now pick up a turntable to spin discs on for under £100 while doing your weekly shop in the supermarket.

While it’s great to see such a proliferation of affordable analogue kit, as always the real trick is separating the good stuff from the rubbish. After all, if you invest in a cheapo turntable with terrible sound, you won’t really get to properly enjoy the true vinyl experience. The smart option, of course, is to try and win a top-notch model in a competition – if only there were somewhere you could do so...

The Zero is the smallest of three new models from Analogue Works, which evolves the design principles of the company’s excellent Turntable One (HFC 388). It’s available in its basic form for £1,000 or you can splash out an additional £500 to enjoy upgrades to the tonearm and cartridge – and that’s precisely what we have here in the masterful shape of the Zero+.

Boasting a Jelco SA-750DB tonearm and Audio-Technica AT440MLB cartridge, this is a stunning turntable that feels like its been designed from the ground up rather than assembled from parts that were to hand. That gorgeous Finnish birch ply plinth further adds to its appeal, both looking the business and offering stunning resonance control in the process.

When we put the Zero+ through its paces back in issue 407, it demonstrated a number of likeable traits from the start. The first is that mechanical noise is pretty much nonexistent. There is a clear sense of drive and attack with more upbeat music that gives it an enthusiastic quality without it sounding forced or relentless. And it is very hard to wrong foot, no matter what music you play on it. In short, we were rather partial to it and gave it five stars.